Jacksonville Memorial Hospital holds flag-raising ceremony for National Donate Life Month
Story and Photos By Ben Cox
Jacksonville Memorial Hospital hosted a flag-raising ceremony on Monday, April 21, to call attention to the importance of organ and tissue donation.
The ceremony at the hospital’s main entrance highlighted the need for organ and tissue donation as nearly 5,000 Illinoisans are currently waiting for an organ transplant.
“April is National Donate Life Month,” said Carrie Carls, chief nursing officer at JMH. “We hold the flag-raising ceremony each year as a way to honor organ and tissue donors for giving the gift of life to others.”
The ceremony featured remarks by officials from Memorial Health, Saving Sight and Gift of Hope. Jacksonville Memorial Hospital CEO Trevor Huffman led the ceremony. Huffman says that people in his family have been touched by organ donation, “Every ten minutes in the nation someone joins the national transplant waiting list. We have over 100,000 people in the country currently waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. A single donor can save up to eight lives, give sight to two people and heal up to twenty-five more with the gifts of tissue.”
Lauren Moreland, supervisor of donation liaisons for Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, says that National Donate Life Month also celebrates the healthcare teams, first responders and coroners’ offices that make organ and tissue donation possible. She says the coordination from first to final responders to family members allows the donation process to occur.
Courtney Welch of Saving Sight spoke about how giving eye tissue and corneas give not only the gift of sight back to people but also renews their independence: “It gives the ability for these patients to resume their hobbies and their jobs as well as see their loved ones’ faces after years of not being able to.”
Judy Foster was Gift of Hope’s guest speaker. Foster detailed how her husband received a double lung transplant of the lungs from a 28-year-old woman and has now been able to watch both of their children graduate from college: “It’s been 15 years since his transplant. It’s pretty remarkable. There have been some health issues over the years, but for the most part, he’s been incredibly healthy.”
Foster went on to talk about the passing of her brother, Jeff, from a brain aneurysm, and how his gifts of organ donation in 2022 have gone on to save the lives of others.
Judy Foster says her brother became a “true hero” by choosing to become an organ donor and help save the lives of others: “For the first time since this tragedy, we felt a glimmer of hope that he could help someone else, just like that 28-year old woman helped my husband.” Foster says that her brother’s donation has gone on to help approximately 160 patients in 15 states in 5 countries.
JMH staff was available in the hospital lobby to register new donors. For those wishing to find more information about organ and tissue donation, visit giftofhope.org or register to become an organ and tissue donor by registering on the Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry through LifeGoesOn.com, or by indicating your desire to donate on your Illinois driver’s license.
Similar ceremonies are planned at the other four Memorial Health hospitals in Central Illinois.
